Red Cross warns Afghanistan has been forgotten as 100 health centres shut
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Afghanistan has dropped out of the focus of media coverage and international discussions, even as humanitarian needs in the country remain vast. The organisation says cuts in global aid have led to the closure of 100 health centres across the country that treat malnourished children.
Yasmin Praz des Mazures, the ICRC’s director of operations, told Agence France-Presse on Monday that Afghanistan had been pushed to the margins internationally and that its people should not be abandoned. “Today, Afghanistan is neither at the centre of media attention nor even seriously on the agenda of high-level international discussions,” she said.
According to her, the reduction in international funding has also forced the organisation to make difficult decisions to maintain its presence in Afghanistan. “We too have had to make very difficult decisions so that we can remain alongside the people of Afghanistan,” she added.
The Red Cross operations director also expressed concern about the future of the organisation’s female staff, saying that although women employees have been retained, the continuation of this situation is uncertain. She said that if new generations are not trained, there will be no replacement workforce for them in the future.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is one of the main aid organisations in Afghanistan, working in health care, support for war victims and humanitarian services. The latest warning comes as Afghanistan continues to face widespread poverty and a severe need for humanitarian assistance in recent years.
